Cineflix Rights Sells Three Scripted Series to Topic
Cineflix Rights has signed a multi-series deal with Topic which sees the North American streamer acquire Icelandic political thriller The Minister and Canadian dark comedy Happily Married, as well as Seasons 1 and 2 of gripping Russian drama An Ordinary Woman.
The Minister (8×60’, Sagafilm for RUV Iceland, DR Denmark, NRK Norway, SVT Sweden, and YLE Finland) stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Trapped, True Detective, The Missing) as a populist Prime Minister whose worsening mental health condition threatens the stability of the government and the lives of those around him. The series recently was nominated in the TV Fiction category at the Prix Europa and by the Venice TV Awards for Best TV Series.
Happily Married (10×60’, Productions Casablanca for Radio-Canada and Tou.tv-Extra) is set in 1974 and tells the story of two couples in crisis, let down by love, friendships, and family. In a society where divorce is frowned upon, their search for marital bliss leads them to take a set of drastic decisions and ultimately, they become the most infamous quartet of criminals in Quebec history. The series was honored with a prestigious official selection at Berlinale Series 2020, and recently won 10 awards at the 35th Prix Gémeaux, including Best Drama Series.
An Ordinary Woman (Seasons 1 and 2, 17×60’, 1-2-3 Production and Look Film) is the riveting story of Marina—an ordinary woman living a seemingly ordinary life in Moscow—but whose secret career running a clandestine network of prostitutes is threatened following the death of one of her ‘girls’. An Ordinary Woman was the first Russian drama to be shortlisted for Séries Mania in 2018, with Anna Mikhalkova winning the best actress award for her role as Marina.
James Durie, Head of Scripted, Cineflix Rights said: “Interest in foreign-language dramas has never been higher, and all three series feature taut, multi-layered contemporary stories with brilliant ensemble casts to create top-notch entertainment. We’re thrilled to be signing this deal with Topic to bring these riveting stories to US audiences for the first time.”
“After screening these critically hailed titles from Iceland, Canada, and Russia, we knew Topic would be the perfect home. We’re excited to be working with Cineflix Rights in bringing these acclaimed series to Topic’s North American audience”, said Ryan Chanatry, General Manager of Topic.
The deal with Topic was brokered by Topic’s VP of Acquisitions Jennifer Liang and Cineflix Rights’ Lucinda Gergley-Garner, SVP, Sales, North America and German Speaking Territories.
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For more information, contact Mark Ogle at OH Communications (for Cineflix Rights): mark@ohcommunications.co.uk / +44 (0) 7789 981561
About Cineflix Rights
Cineflix Rights is the UK’s largest independent TV content distributor, providing premium factual and scripted programming from some of the world’s most creative producers to more than 500 broadcasters and platforms.
Our growing scripted slate includes the riveting Israeli espionage thriller Tehran with rising star Niv Sultan and critically acclaimed actor Shaun Toub for KAN 11, launching globally on Apple TV+; award-winning international cult sensation Wynonna Earp; Berlinale Series 2020 official selection Happily Married; and, the gripping Icelandic political drama The Minister, starring Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. These series sit alongside three seasons of Marcella, the International Emmy®-winning crime thriller for ITV and Netflix, which is being adapted for TF1 France as Rebecca and the highly rated hit Coroner inspired by the best-selling series of books by M.R. Hall, with Serinda Swan and Roger Cross, which is now in its third season. Established in 2002, Cineflix Rights is based in London and part of the Cineflix Media group of companies.
About Topic
Topic is the new streaming service from First Look Media, curated for a curious and engaged audience seeking smart, provocative and meaningful entertainment. Launched last year, the rapidly growing service features North American premieres and exclusive programming from around the world, complemented by a diverse slate of originals. Recent programming includes: the weekly comedic variety series Second City Presents: The Last Show Left on Earth; Down from London from executive producer Sharon Horgan; horror anthology series Soul City from filmmakers Coodie and Chike; BAFTA TV Award nominee The Virtues from filmmaker Shane Meadows starring Stephen Graham; Maria Bamford’s discussion show on mental health, What’s Your Ailment?!; and critically acclaimed documentary and narrative films such as Behemoth and We Need to Talk About Kevin. Topic is available to US and Canadian audiences on Topic.com, Apple iOS, and AppleTV, Android, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, in addition to Amazon Prime Video Channels.
Topic is part of Topic Entertainment, the entertainment arm of First Look Media, which includes the streaming service and Topic Studios, the award-winning studio that develops, finances and produces provocative and entertaining content for all platforms including theatrical, streaming, television and podcasts. From Academy Award® winning films (Spotlight); to documentaries (The Fight slated for release July 31 with Magnolia, and Mucho Mucho Amor, now streaming on Netflix); to television (the docu-series Love Fraud premiering on Showtime August 30, and Losers on Netflix); and pioneering podcasts (Missing Richard Simmons and Running from COPS, Anthem written by John Cameron Mitchell & Bryan Weller, featuring Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo and Patti LuPone, and the investigative podcast Somebody with iHeartMedia).